


DOTD

by WyldRabbit



Category: Stephanie Plum - Janet Evanovich
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-01 03:43:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5190881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WyldRabbit/pseuds/WyldRabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ranger is being secretive. Stephanie and the Rangeman crew are eagar to solve the mystery surrounding The Day Of The Dead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was part of a challenge for Fall/ Halloween. I am still working on it, but want to share what I have so far. I am having problems finishing this and SS due to family problems, but wanted to post the five chapters I have. Thank you for your support and I hope you enjoy the short story. The Characters and relationships are a direct result of Seventeen Seconds, the book I am working on. All characters are Janet's. All mistakes are mine.

DOTD

Chapter one

Ranger walked into the apartment. He dropped his keys into the silver dish and stopped dead. I looked up from the book I was reading. His focus was on a package that sat on the oak side table.

"Where did this come from?" He said incredulously.

The book was getting interesting, I didn't want to stop, even for him. It was about werewolves and vampires, and I was finally at the good part.

"Ella brought it up, earlier. I think she said one of your sisters dropped it off downstairs." I said, watching him. He was at a standstill. The package looked a lot like a present to me. Two boxes. One on top of the other. Larger one on the bottom. Both wrapped in matte white paper. They could be two cakes for all I knew. Brown grosgrain ribbon tied them together with a bow. There was a tag. It was on a brown string, hanging off the side. The tag was in an envelope.

Ranger pulled it off and opened it. His lip curled and he crumpled the tag up and threw it on the floor. I closed my book. He never threw anything on the floor. I eyed the crumbled note. What did it say?

He crossed his arms across his chest. The black tee shirt stretched to accommodate the move. He stared down at the package for more than a few seconds, like he was afraid of it. He took his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed a number.

"Fuck You." He said, in an angry voice.

Then I heard a lot of commotion on the other end.

"No." Ranger said, sounding panicked. "No Mama. Not you. I'm sorry, I thought you were Carmen. Yes. No, I don't always say hello like that. No!"

Then Ranger started talking in what I think was Spanish, or some form of Spanish I had never heard before. It was incredibly fast, so it could have been some language from outer space for all I knew. What I did notice was that now, he had turned his back on the crumpled note. I slowly got off the couch and walked over.

I picked it up off the ground and unraveled it.

Written in black heavy paint was the word "Dare."

That was all it said.

October 20th, a week ago, Ranger started getting death threats. Not from strangers either. He was getting them from his four sisters. All I knew was that they were very angry with him. The more notes and phone calls he got, the happier he seemed. A few days before that , an order had come through the Rangeman emails. It was from Ranger's Amazon account. I thought it was weird, but who am I to judge? If he wanted to buy four Hello Kitty Easy Bake Ovens and four gross orders of Easy Bake cakes, cookies and cupcake mixes, who am I to argue? I only could hope I would be the recipient of one of these orders, because in all honesty, who did not like the cakes that came from those ovens?

None of them showed up at Rangeman, much to my disappointment. Then the death threats started.

I wondered about the "Dare" Comment.

I wondered about the ovens and the mixes.

And I wondered about the plain white wrapped boxes that sat on the side table.

But, mostly I wondered why he had called and tried to tell his sister Carmen to fuck off.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The box was gone in the morning. I had asked about the package, but Ranger was elusive. "Don't even go there." That was that. It sat there all night, like the elephant in the room. This type of stuff kills me. Why couldn't he at least give me some sort of clue? I felt like I had a right to know! Part of me was glad it was gone, the other part, mad because I already had devised a plan to open the package and re-wrap it before anyone noticed.

What came in that kind of packaging? There had to be a way to find out.

"There were two other packages that came like that." Ramon said. I was down on the third floor early. Hoping to catch one of the men before Ranger had taken over for the day. "A delivery truck pulled up two days in a row in front of the building." He pulled up the surveillance. "Look, one came in at eight PM, and the other came in the next day at eight thirty PM."

"Who accepted them?"

"Looks like security took them."

Wait, check and see if Ranger comes and picks them up." I said.

I was getting excited. This had to mean something. I had a mystery on my hands.

Ramon fast forwarded the CTV camera. Sure enough, the first night, Ranger picks up the package. It was wrapped the same as the one in the apartment, but this one was light blue. Still had the brown grosgrain ribbon from what I could see.

"Look at that. He grabbed it quick and left."

"Find the second night, see if he does that again." I said.

Sure enough, he did. But he also picked up the phone and dialed a number. He paced as he talked on the phone before dropping it back into his pocket.

"Does it show what happened after he left? The entire building is wired with cameras. Can you find out where he went?"

Ramon slid his eyes to me. "That is kind of invasion of privacy. I have work to do."

He shut me down! I folded my arms across my chest, ready to fight about it, but then I saw the reflection in the monitor. Ranger and Tank were both in the room now. Ranger was looking at both of us. Fun was over.

"Well," I said, fumbling. "Just keep an eye on the building, it was probably just a mouse."

That night, I paced. My apartment was too quiet. I had spent all day trying to figure out where Manny Zuko was hiding. Although I had a feeling that it was somewhere like the trunk of a Cadillac. I called Connie, and asked her what kind of things came in boxes like the ones I had seen at Rangeman.

"Could be a lot of things." If they came from his sisters, I am thinking something he wasn't really happy about. Maybe they bought him a winter cap and gloves. Although.." She was quiet.

"Although what?"

"My Uncle Phil has boxes like that delivered. Some kind of imported stuff came in the ones he had."

"What kind of stuff?" She had my attention.

"Candy."

"Candy?" I was lost.

"Yup. Turkish Delight. But those boxes sound like they are too big. Turkish Delight comes in smaller boxes. That stuff is rich. You could get sick eating too much of that."

"Ranger doesn't like candy."

"Maybe that was why he was angry."

"Yeah, but what did he do with it?"

You know, he came in this morning. His shirt was untucked." Connie said.

"Ranger doesn't do that." I said.

"Well, it was untucked today."

I thought back to this morning. Was his shirt untucked? I tried to remember. I was only focused on the box, and the fact that it had disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When I walked through the front door of the Rangeman building I spotted a delivery van parked near the security booth. It was white and had blue and brown polka dots all over it. Reminded me of a bakery truck.

The driver was walking swiftly away from the security booth. He must have just dropped off another package. this was my chance!

"Hey!" I said, walking quickly towards him. "Who do you work for?" I stood blocking the way between him and his truck.

The man was about five foot eight and wore a blue uniform with a white hat. His shoes were shiny and black. Patent leather. The uniform was pressed and neat. Almost too perfect. He had dark hair, cut short. Barely noticeable under the bright white cap. His eyes were shifty, but they were deep, and there was a moment where I thought I knew him. He seemed familiar.

He raised his eyebrows and started rattling off a bunch of words. I think it might have been Spanish. I know the basics, but the words he was using went right over my head. He side stepped me and jumped into his truck before I could stop him. He locked the door and drove away, his tires screeching as he pulled out of the parking garage.

At the security desk, sat another package. This one was black. Matte black. The grosgrain ribbon was light blue. One smaller box with another larger one below it. I studied it for a moment.

"What the hell is going on?" I glanced at the security guard.

Emilio had been working for Rangeman now, for two months. He had replaced a man named Rocko who had just moved up state. He shrugged. "You know, I'm fluent in twelve languages, including Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Swedish, and more than one Asian dialect. What that guy said to you, It wasn't even close to any of them. I think he just rattled off a bunch of made up words."

I picked up the package. It was about eight pounds. Guessing three for the first box and five for the second box.

"Next time that guy comes in here, He gives a name of a business or do not accept any packages from him."

Emilio shook his head. "I have my orders. I have to accept them. Straight from the boss. If don't take them, I get fired."

"Ranger told you that?" I said. It was hard to believe.

"Yes, Ma'am."

I walked the stairs to the fifth floor. I had a lot of questions and absolutly no answers. The mystery of the boxes took a lot of space in my head. Four, I thought. One was light blue, one was white. One was yellow, and this last one, it was black. The delivery van was white with blue polka dots.

I called the one person I knew who would know who drove a van like this. Mary Lou. She had everything delivered. She and Whiskey were working on their forth kid. It was suppose to pop out of the oven any day now. I had been keeping tabs on her. She told me the doctor had put her on bed rest. She wasn't allowed to go anywhere.

I dialed her number. "This one is it." Mary Lou said. "I am done having kids. I want to go back to work. Kids drive me nuts. Why did you ever let me do this?"

She didn't even say hello. My name must have come up on caller ID. "This is all your fault, Stephanie."

"How is this my fault?"

"You could have tried to talk me out of going out the night I hooked up with Whiskey."

"That was a long time ago. You would have gone out no matter what I said. We both snuck out. Remember?"

"Yeah, but we should have stayed home. We were being hoodlums. We should have stayed home and ate popcorn and watched old movies like we were suppose too. You know, that one boy from school, he liked me. I should have dated him. I bet I wouldn't be in this mess if I had dated him."

"Freddy?" I said. "Hate to tell you this, Mary Lou. Freddy is gay. He wasn't going to date you."

"See? See, that is exactly the point! Freddy would never have had kids with me!"

"You love your kids!"

"Okay, maybe you have a point. But I would be skinny. I would be rich, I bet. Maybe I would be living the dream."

"You are living the dream. I envy you sometimes."

"Yeah? Only sometimes. You envy me now? Do you know the doctor wants me to wear a diaper so I don't have to get up to use the bathroom?"

I grimaced. "For how long?"

"Till the baby decides to poke her head out. I can't wear diapers! This is insane."

"When is the baby due? Soon, right?" I said, trying to find some kind of good in all of this.

"She is due to show up by the end of the week."

"You can make it. You have always wanted a little girl. You can dress her in all those little pink dresses you bought over the years. It will be fun. Soon, you will forget about the adult diapers. It will be a distant memory."

"I am not having fun, Stephanie. Whiskey is on leave so he can watch the kids. I swear, he is feeding them sweets. The house is a mess, I just know it. Wait, why are you calling?"

"I'm calling to see how you are doing." I said.

"We just talked yesterday, remember? So, spill. Why are you calling? It has to be something good. If it isn't, pretend like it is. I can't stand it anymore. I need something interesting to happen."

"Okay, fine! I need to know what delivery company uses a white panel van that has blue and white polka dots all over it."

Mary Lou was silent for a moment. "Is this for a case? Is someone trying to kill you? I bet this is good!"

"No one is trying to kill me. Sorry."

"Damn." She said.

"Mary Lou!"

"Sorry. You need to understand something here. I have been stuck in the bedroom for a week. The first couple days, it was okay. I could watch TV. I could pretend like I was sick in bed. Now, I can't pretend anymore. I need to get out of here. I know what is happening on all the judge shows, all the soap operas too, and I have watched all the episodes to every two and a half men there is. I can't take anymore."

"I promise I will come over and visit. But I can't right now. I need to solve this mystery."

"Sorry, I can't help with the truck. No bakery or delivery company in Trenton uses a van like that."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

I walked onto the fifth floor. Tank had the com. Like a conductor, he had control of Rangeman's inner workings. No Ranger.

I glanced over to his office. It was dark. I pulled my cellphone out and called downstairs to security. Emilio answered on the second ring.

"Anyone pick up the package yet?"

"No. It is still sitting here."

"Can you call me when someone does?"

"I don't think I should."

"What! Why not?"

"There are some things that people should not stick their nose into. Other people's personal business is one of those things that are high on my standards of living credo. It is none of my business. I don't want to get involved. It could be personal. I'm not hear to judge." He hung up before I could argue.

I called him back. "You're not even the least bit curious?"

"Yeah. I am curious. But I am not getting involved. Sorry." Emilio disconnected. It didn't look like he would be a lot of help. Apparently he had some sort of moral code this was imposing upon.

I scanned the room in front of me. Who knew Ranger the best? I focused in on Tank. He watched me walk towards him, and I could swear his lips moved to form the word "Shit."

Tank is Ranger's right hand man, and a bad ass to boot. He was big, he was black, and he looked mean. I knew he spent four hours in the gym every day. He has been Ranger's body guard and he has been mine, too. I also knew his secret. He was a big teddy bear on the inside. Currently he was Lula's boyfriend. He had to talk to me.

"I am kind of busy here, Stephanie."

"I just thought I would ask if you needed anything."

"Nope. I'm good."

"Hasn't your shift ended already?"

"Apparently, I am working a double shift."

"Oh yeah, why is that?"

Tank was busy using his I-pad. He put his finger up to his ear and started talking. "Yes. A breach at 1201 Norman. Yes. Could be. Walk me through what you know." I waited next to him while he solved what ever was happening on Norman street.

He turned his focus back to me.

"Where is Ranger?" I asked.

"Funny you should mention that." He said. "He's late."

"Late for what?"

"His shift. I thought he was with you."

Tank hit a bunch of buttons on the pad and a screen came up. There was a blinking green light. It looked like it was below ground level. "He is in basement two. Gun range. I already tried to call. I figured you two were busy."

Busy doing what? Well here's the scoop. I knew that Ranger's team was well aware of the relationship I had with their boss. I also knew sometimes they had to scramble to change things around to accommodate both of us. Sometimes, things just happened.

"Do you know about the boxes?" I asked.

"I know he is receiving packages. I also know he is not happy when they get here. He picks them up anyway, and he told security to let them come through no matter what. Accept them. If they don't cooperate, he told them to find another job."

"Don't you think that is going a little too far? He will fire someone because they won't accept a package that seems suspicious?"

"Yes. I think he is being as asshole. What ever is happening, it is fucking the whole schedule up. I wish he would knock this shit off."

"Any idea what is in the boxes?"

Tank shook his head. "No clue. I have asked, too. He pretends like he doesn't hear me. I figure it must be something private. So I dropped it. Maybe you should drop it too. What ever is wrong, it will blow over."

"And if it doesn't?"

"If it doesn't, I will have to beat the shit out of him. Help move things along manually. It is screwing up the building's timing. Everything is thrown off. He better work it out, or I will start working it out for him."

"Are you saying that you will kick his ass?" I couldn't help smiling.

"Maybe I would have a hard time getting the upper hand, but Cal, Lester and I could take him."

I could see that. I decided to divert Tank from recruiting for an ass beating. "What service company drives a white panel van with blue polka dots all over it?"

"I'm not a big delivery guy, but it sounds like a clown car. I have no idea."

I could tell that Tank was finished with our conversation. He was back on the keypad and talking through the headset. Probably directing traffic to Mars. I poked him. He turned towards me, I knew I was being a pest. "What?"

Have you seen Ranger's shirts untucked?

Tank stopped what he was doing. He looked around to make sure he was not being watched, and he covered the headset.

"Not only his shirts. His pants look bigger, like maybe they are a different size. I think he is gaining weight. Maybe that is the problem. It will help the ass whooping if he starts getting lazy. What have you been feeding him?"

"Nothing!" I said. "That's the thing. He told me he has been eating down here!"

Tank looked towards the kitchen, following my stare. "I haven't seen him go anywhere near the kitchen in days."

"You know, Connie told me those types of boxes held candy."

Tank shook his head in disgust. "Ranger won't eat candy."

"Has he ever told you why?"

"No. He did mention something once about how he has hated candy since he was a kid."

"I saw a tag on one of the boxes." I said, raising my eyes to his. I knew I had his attention.

"Okay, What did it say?"

"It said, 'Dare.'"

"Dare"?

"Yeah."

"Who would dare Ranger? It doesn't seem like a good idea." Tank said. "As a matter of fact, I think it would be a very bad idea."

"Did you know he has been getting death threats, too?"

Tank raised his eyebrows. "Death threats? Ranger? What?" He crossed his arms in disbelief. "Who the hell would send Ranger death threats, and why wouldn't we know about it?"

"Maybe because they were from his family."

Tank scratched his huge bald head. "You got me. Who is sending him threats, and why? Apparently you know more than you are letting on, Stephanie."

"Ranger's sisters have been sending him death threats for a week."

"Ranger's sisters?" Tank repeated. He did an eye roll as he said this. "Sending him death threats."

"Yeah." I said. "Any ideas?"

"Oh boy. Day of the Dead. Meet me in the conference room in ten minutes."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Tank was pacing when I walked into the conference room. Ramon, Hal, Lester and Cal stood watching the control room from the glass partitions. No one chose to sit.

"Did you see Ranger out there?" Hector asked me.

I shook my head, "No. No sign. Why?"

"Good."

"What is going on?"

"November 2nd is the Day of the Dead."

"Yeah, okay, so?"

Tank glanced sideways at the rest of the team. "Every year, Ranger goes a little nuts leading up to the three day celebration. With everything going on, we kind of forgot about it this year. We know it has something to do with the holiday and we know it has something to do with his family, at least his sisters and his brother. He won't ever talk about it. It is some kind of secret competition thing. Last year he almost got himself killed using zip lines across the Manhattan skyline. I think they play some kind of game with each other. Every year it becomes more elaborate."

"We only have bits and pieces of what happened, but apparently last year was some sort of treasure hunt. It was crazy. We had to rescue Ranger twice. Those zip lines are dangerous." Hal said. "We didn't want to get involved, but when he was hanging from the side of a skyscraper, I thought it was a good time to intervene."

"Are you serious? They do this every year?"

"Every year that he is in New Jersey. His family is nuts. I did a check on the license plate of the panel van." Tank said. The room went silent, no one wanted to miss what Tank said. "It is registered to Paulo".

"No shit?" Ramon said.

"Paulo? Who is Paulo?" I said.

"Paulo Manoso. Ranger's brother. The boxes are definitely part of the game."

"So the guy that I cornered outside Rangeman was actually Ranger's brother? Holy crap!"

Ramon laughed. "You cornered Paulo? Why wasn't I there to see this? What did he say?"

"I had no idea it was his brother. He was dressed like an ice cream man. He looked kind of ridiculous. I asked him who he worked for. He rattled off some words I didn't recognize. Then he slipped by me. Emilio heard him. He said that they were not real words. He thought the guy just made up something."

"I sincerely hope we got that on camera." Cal said, laughing.

"Look, the problem I have, is that there is no reason for us to get involved unless something bad happens. So far all Ranger has done is miss work and receive packages. It is pretty mellow considering the years past." Tank said.

I looked around the table. All of them were in some sort of agreement with Tank. Me, not so much. I had to figure out what was happening. What kind of weird game did the Manoso kids play every year, and why? Ranger didn't seem like the game type. I had to know! I am worse than Mrs. Kravitz. Not only that, but I probably needed at least one person from Rangeman to back me up.

"You know you are as curious as I am about all of this. We should at least be aware of what is happening every year. I mean, isn't it a pain in the ass when suddenly Ranger just disappears? Or, what about when you had to rescue him? If he would have at least let you know what was happening, you could be prepared for it. He is being secretive, and it could lead to him getting killed. Maybe it should be your duty to make him tell you." I said.

"You had me going until the "our duty" comment. That was a little over the top." Cal said.

"I don't know about any of that, but of course I'm curious." Lester said. "He should let us in on it. Mostly because it sounds like fun. I picked up one of the boxes, and shook it. Sounded a hell of a lot like candy. This whole packages thing is driving me nuts."

What happens to them once he picks them up? I have never seen any trace. Nothing. No wrappings, no crumbs." Cal said. "Where the heck are they? Maybe they are in the apartment on seven?"

I shook my head. "I searched the whole floor. They are not there. What about his office?"

Hector shook his head. "Nope, I checked the office." He pulled something that looked like a piece of paper out of his pocket. "I found this at the gun range. I was going to toss it, but just in case it was a clue, I hung on to it."

I smiled at him. "I knew you guys were as bad as I am."

It was a wrapper. He put it on the table and we all moved in to look at it. Ramon took a pen and touched it. It was white. It had a lining inside that was wax paper.

"It smells like candy." Hector said. "There was confection sugar coating the inside. When I picked it up, the sugar fell out."

Lester picked it up and smelled it. "He's right. It smells like some kind of candy." He licked the corner. "Tastes like sugar and maybe nuts. Ranger wouldn't eat candy. What the hell is up?"

I felt like we were the crime scene team on CSI looking at a clue in a murder. We were all huddled together.

"You want to tell me what is so important that the floor has been abandoned for twenty minutes?"

In unison, we all jumped away from the wrapper. Hector pocketed it so fast I barely saw his hand move.

Ranger stood leaning in the doorway of the conference room. His hands were folded and he looked angry.

What the hell, I said to myself. This was my chance. Although it was fun trying to figure all this out, why not just ask?

"Okay", I said. "We want in."

Ranger glared at me. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

I stood my ground. I was hoping someone would back me up, but it felt like I was out on a limb here, so why not just jump in with both feet?

"You have been acting strange. You missed a shift at work, you are accepting packages without proper clearance. Your brother Paulo is driving around in a spotted van wearing a pressed suit and a funny hat. There are candy wrappers at the gun range, your shirt is untucked, and you are getting fat. What gives? We want to know what is happening. And … "I stuttered, "if it is fun, we want to be included."

Ranger scowled. His eyes were like daggers. He stood there and held my eyes, almost waiting for me to blink. I was not going to back down. Although my eyes started to burn. I was pretty good at staring contests but I thought it was possible that Ranger was better than I was. I held them open anyway. I decided to be defiant. Thankfully, he turned and focused on the team behind me, although I was not sure they were even behind me anymore. It felt like they all might have slithered out the door while I was talking.

"Is this a team decision?"

I turned my head and glanced behind me. The men were there. They had stood with me. Hot dog. I was part of the team.

"Yes." Tank said. "This is a team decision. You can't just wander away from your business for two weeks and not let anyone know what is happening. You have done this every year since we came back. We deserve some sort of an explanation. And, like Stephanie said. If it is fun, why can't we be in on it?"

Finally, Ranger moved from the doorway and walked up to me. I held my ground, and Cal and Lester moved up, flanking me. He stood close. I could feel his breath on my face. Ranger was not a small man. He was at least four inches taller than I was. His biceps were as big around as my leg, with a lot more muscle. I didn't back down, as a matter of fact I got on my tipi toes so that I was closer to him. It was a sad attempt. Ranger could smash me like a bug, and to be blunt, he was beginning to turn me on, and I was having a hard time concentrating on being audacious. Especially since up close, he smelled like sugar.

"Is this your attempt to try to scare me into submission?" I squeaked.

"Yes. But I don't have the energy to back it up. This whole Day of the Dead thing is kicking my ass."

Ranger turned and sat down. "I can't bring any of you in on this stupid tradition, but I guess everyone does deserve an explanation. I can only hope it is not against some rule I have forgotten about."

All of us took a seat. This had to be good. Finally. We would get the story.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"It's a contest."

I took the chair across from Ranger. Tank and the rest of the guys sat with me. Ranger was all alone on the other side of the long oak table. He slouched in his chair, unhappily.

"What kind of contest?" Lester asked.

"A competition between my siblings and myself."

"How come we were not aware of it?" Tank asked.

Ranger raised his eyebrows.

"None of our business?" Tank said.

Ranger nodded. "It's one of the rules."

"The rules? How long has this thing been going on?" I asked.

"Since I was about six."

"Why?" Cal said, sarcastically.

He shifted uneasily in the chair. Ranger's eyes moved to Cal. "Because before that, I was too young to participate."

"Yeah, but why play?"

"Why not?" Ranger took a deep breath, pulling himself out of the slouch. "It's just a thing that we do. When we were kids, we had to fend for ourselves the two weeks leading up to the Day of the Dead. My parents help with the festival. They were busy. Claudia was put in charge of us. She was the oldest of six kids, and she took the role seriously.The Manoso kids were impossible to control. She knew the one thing that would keep us from doing stupid shit. We were competitive. It was in our blood, so Claudia and Paulo came up with the game."

"So, what exactly is this game?" Hector asked.

"It was a way to honor the people in the family who had died. We picked a name out of a hat. Then we had to find out who they were. Then we would vote on how to honor them. First year was my Aunt Lizzie. The only thing we knew about her was that she liked to knit. So that was the challenge. We had to learn the skill , and we had to make something. We would have two weeks to accomplish the task. Then, on the morning of the parade, we would judge each others work. If any of us didn't do it, we would suffer some horrible punishment."

"What was the punishment?" I asked.

Ranger shrugged. "No idea. No one quit."

Lester laughed. "So you guys went all 'Lord of the Flies' on everybody for two weeks, and you learned to knit?"

Ranger didn't even flinch. "I won the contest."

"What did you make?" It was hard not to laugh. It was really difficult to see Ranger knitting.

"I made a scarf, and a hat. I gave the scarf to my grandmother. I kept the hat."

Tank cleared his throat. I knew he was uncomfortable with the new information about his boss. "So What happened last year?"

"Last year was my great uncle Lou. He was a thief, and he died in prison. He was always looking for the bigger better prize, until the prize got him twenty to life. In his honor, we had a treasure hunt. My sister Celia organized it. She gave us each a map and clues at each stop. There were twenty places we had to go. Carmen won. I still have no idea how she got ahead of me."

"We had to save you, twice." Hal said, holding up two fingers.

"And if they would have found out you helped me, I would have been disqualified."

"The contest got out of hand." Tank said.

Ranger smiled, wolfishly. "Maybe. Claudia broke her arm, and Paulo cracked a rib, but they finished anyway."

Hector leaned in, closer to Ranger. "What is the contest this year?"

Ranger's smile faltered. "Uncle Manny. He had a lot of bad habits. This year we have to indulge in ours. My brother's bad habit is smoking. He has been smoking cigarettes since before I was born. He quit more than 10 years ago."

I was horrified. "So you are making him start again?"

"No. He doesn't have to play the game. He could quit. It is up to him."

"My sisters bad habit was easier. They were addicted to the cakes made from the Easy Bake Ovens. It was a real problem for my mother and father. After the fifth time they were caught stealing cake mixes, my mother threw the oven away and put them all on a diet."

"The Hello Kitty Ovens you bought on Amazon! They were to torture your sisters?"

"Yes. They have a lot of cakes to eat."

"That is cruel!"

"Yeah." Ranger smiled. "It is cruel. Maybe one of them will fold. Hell, maybe they all will. Carmen would rather die than gain a bunch of weight and put chemicals into her body like that. Maybe none of them will want to finish the contest this year."

"So you bought them each an oven and a ton of cake mix." I said.

"They have to eat it all, and Paulo has to smoke a hell of a lot of cigarettes."

"How will you know if they do it? They could just throw it all out."

"They have to document it on camera."

"They will get sick."

"That is the point. Someone has to win. Either they do not meet the quota, or they quit. It's the rules of the game. All of us voted to do this. No one in this game is innocent. This has been going on for a long time, and all of us have done some pretty rotten things to each other."

I sat back in my chair. This brought up an interesting conundrum. Ranger had a bad habit. The perfect male had a flaw. By the look of those packages, and the anger in his face when he had to pick them up, meant it was a good one.

I think every one of us knew what the next question was going to be. It was inevitable. It was time he fessed up.

"What are in those packages, Ranger? I asked.

========================

Thank you all for being patient with me while I was gone. Unfortunately my family emergency has not been fixed and my time between posts may be long. That is the way life is, I guess. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. The story is still so much fun, and it brings the silly out. I hope you like it! Please review, tell me what it is missing, and what I have messed up. Words and spelling too, please. :)

This is for you, Andria. Please come back to us.


	7. Chapter 7

We waited with baited breath. All of us, leaning over in anticipation, waiting to hear just what kind of a terrible, horrible, habit Ranger had. What would make a man stop in his tracks at the site of packages, want to cuss out his sister, and act irrational?

"I can't tell you that." Ranger said.

I leaned back. His attitude was getting on my nerves. "Are you fricken serious? I yelled. "Unbelievable!"

The rest of the team sat with me in quiet disbelief, probably just as perplexed as I was. I suppose I had been deemed the negotiator, because no one else spoke up. I knew this was the best stance for them to take. I didn't blame them. Ranger was the boss. Better to let the girlfriend take the heat.

"Rules are rules." He said.

I was keenly aware that his mouth twitched into a teensy tiny smile as he said this. It was a real possibility that Ranger, man of mystery, was enjoying this.

"If there are rules, then why is it that you could tell us about Paulo and your sisters?"

"I don't think I broke any rules by telling you what my siblings have to do. I do know that it is against the rules to tell you what I have to do."

Ranger slid the chair back and stood, picking up the i pad and logging in. Tank, and the rest of the crew stood and walked out. I guess they knew the meeting was over before I did.

It's not like I am proud of the way I act sometimes. I become irrational, and the things I do may not make a lot of sense. I already know I need to practice patience and probably grow up a little bit. I stood up and walked over to him. Holding back the rage of a child who did not get her way.

"So, you won't tell me what was in the packages?"

Ranger was reading the logs from the night watch, scrolling through them and scanning as he went. "How badly do you want to know?"

Ranger's attention was now directed at me. His eyes more playful than serious.

I huffed, crossing my arms to my chest. "I could care less." I said.

I began tapping my foot, trying to distract myself from throwing myself at him, begging him to tell me. I was dying to find out what was in the packages and to find out what flaw he had. It was like a bad crack habit. Ranger was a man of layers. Getting to know him was like peeling an onion. He had more discipline in his pinky finger than I had in my whole body. I needed to be patient. He had teased us into believing we were going to solve the mystery, and move to the next level. It was not happening. I needed another approach.

Ranger leaned close to me, his lips playfully skimmed mine. "This is killing you, isn't it?" He whispered. "It is just a stupid game."

The problem was this. I knew it was just a stupid game, and I knew I should just let it go. His breath smelled like candy. I was being slowly seduced by sugar, nuts and the slight tinge of orange. This was bad, because my frustration with him was slowly turning to lust.

Stephanie, you are such a candy slut. I said to myself. And I knew, if he kissed me, his lips would taste like sugar. I liked sugar. I liked sugar a lot. I also liked kissing Ranger. And those two things would be my downfall. I had to get a grip.

The door was shut. It was just the two of us. He stepped in closer. I knew he was playing with me. He was good. My mouth was starting to water. We were hip to hip. My arms remained crossed in front of me. I was trying to believe I was mad at him, but the heat of his body was changing my attitude. Stonewalling him was failing. I was suddenly flustered.

"You smell like sugar." I murmured

Ranger nodded. "Yeah, I do. I bet that makes things even more challenging."

He dropped the i pad onto the table. His hand slipped casually under my knit shirt, sliding around my waist. That was when I noticed it. Something was in his pocket. It could be something that might answer the perplexing package question, If I could just get to it. But first I needed a distraction. My fingers slid down his black cargo pants.

Ranger's whole playful demeanor changed. He pushed me up against the wall, and kissed my neck. "What are you doing?"

I felt him stir as my fingers brushed over him. Ranger leaned into me and my hand was flat against the increasing swell. His knee slid in between my legs, parting them. His hand moved from my stomach to my breast, grazing my nipple with his fingertip. I almost started to hyperventilate.

Get a hold of yourself, Stephanie! This was my chance! He was totally distracted. Problem was, so was I. It was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate, especially now that his lips touched my neck. I kept one hand on Ranger, and started to move the other towards his pocket. I just needed a few more seconds. It was just inches away. As I tried to slip my fingers in, he grabbed my wrist, bringing my hand to his lips. He kissed my palm.

"Nice try." He said, as his eyes met mine. He pulled away from me, breaking contact.

"I will figure this out." I said, trying to regain my composure. At this moment, I could care less about the game and about the packages. It was him I wanted. Secrets and all.

"I'm counting on it. This game will be the death of me. Someone needs to stop the insanity."

\-------------

Thanks to all who are reading and reviewing and being patient as I struggle with the loss of my sister. I always tried to make her laugh, I hope I still am. Love you, Andria. RIP


	8. Chapter Eight

I watched Paulo Manoso's house through the infrared night scope. It was after ten at night. Lester and I had been sitting so long in the Rangeman SUV that I thought my butt would be permanently stuck to the leather seats.

"Why in hell did you guys get leather seats, anyway? This is a working vehicle."

"Came with the truck. I don't ask questions. This truck was fully loaded when it fell out of the sky one day." Lester adjusted his butt on the seat, shifting his weight.

I put the scope down grabbed for the last piece of Big Red, popping it into my mouth. Ranger's ability to have cars and trucks appear out of no where had always bugged me.

"Are you telling me you seriously don't know where they come from?"

I think it sounds way more mysterious and cool than the actual truth. These trucks come from police auctions. This thing was probably owned by some drug kingpin. They are cleaned up and checked out before we get them. Ranger will only pick up the ones that are under a year old. Now, doesn't it sound much more exotic to say that they just appear?"

"Actually yeah. Forget I asked you. You ruined it for me."

"Ha!" Lester said. "Not as cool now, is it? Almost as bad a riding Space Mountain with the lights on."

Lester picked up his night scope. "He's on the move."

I watched through infrared as Ranger's brother walked out the front door of his house.

Ranger wasn't exactly in on our little field trip. After he told us the story about the contest, his men walked out. I knew that if I wanted any more information, I would be flying solo. Maybe it would be easier to figure out on my own. Ranger had said that he was counting on me. He didn't say, please do not interfere. He threw me a bone. The ball was in my court, so I grabbed it.

I didn't think for a moment that the Merry Men would want anything to do with it, but I was wrong

They cornered me in the break room once Ranger took over the floor. I wandered in, trolling for a second bagel. They stood, leaning against the counter, out of Ranger's view.

"So what now? Ramon asked. "He wouldn't tell us shit."

I had already decided to do a more through search of the building. The packages had be stashed somewhere. I could solve this one myself.

"Maybe we should just leave it alone." I said.

Cal raised his eyebrow. "We thought we'd do something different."

I poured myself a cup of jo and started rooting around for the sugar. Lester's big paws knocked open a cupboard high above my head and pulled out the jar that was labeled "Stephanie". It was the only sugar stash in the building. He held it at arms length. I tried to grab it.

"What is with you? That is my jar." I said, straining to reach it.

"Are you with us?"

"Are you blackmailing me with sugar?"

"You started this. Now we gotta know what Ranger is hiding. Tank went home to sleep, but he told us to make sure you were in. Without you, its just not as fun. Not to mention, without you in on it, we might really piss off the boss."

There was never a doubt that I would rather do this with them, then without them. Not having to ask was icing on the cake.

"So what's the plan?"

Lester had the day off. He was with me. The rest of the team worked at different times throughout the day. Someone had to make sure this SUV was out of the system. Ramon took care of that. We searched all the floors of the Rangeman building, Nothing. Ella's floor was the only one left. I was not about to invade her space for a stupid contest. Tank's plan seemed better. Go after the siblings.

Paulo Manoso lived in Woodbridge Township, in plain sight. Unlike his only brother, He wasn't hiding. We turned onto Rowland Place. Halfway down, was Paulo Manoso's house. His address and phone number was listed legitimately in the phone book. A nice little cottage type postage stamp house on a street that was lined with them. It was comfortable, and seemed odd for one of Ranger's siblings to live a white picket fence life.

The neighborhood itself was clean and well kept. Two kinds of things can happen in a neighborhood like this. Either no one knows anything that their street compatriots are doing, or everyone is up in each other's business. There usually is no in between. It's one or the other. This was an older neighborhood. I was almost sure it was the latter of the two. If so, Paulo already knew we were here. One thing going for us, I didn't see any neighborhood watch signs.

Paulo Manoso was a good foot shorter than Ranger. His hair was longer, but that was where the differences stopped. There was no doubt these two were related. Paulo was an older, thinner version of the same man. I watched him glance in our direction, turn and walk the opposite way, towards the park. He had a small terrier with him. The dog was on a leash. The moment he was clear of the house, he lit up.

"Well, what do you think?" I said.

"That's Paulo, no doubt about it. I dunno if I want to approach him. Apparently, he is not friendly."

The SUV we came in was what Ramon had called "Fresh". It had just come in. It was not yet equipped with all the Rangeman toys. Silvio had done us a favor by disabling the GPS. We were on our own, and that was the way we wanted it to be. To be sure that no one could track us, I had left my bag at the apartment. I was with Lester, what could happen?

I watched as Paulo disappeared around a corner. He wore dark jeans, a red polo shirt, and a white baseball cap flipped around backwards. His pace was quick, but he paid attention to the dog. I thought he was probably not as bad as Lester thought, just misunderstood. I mean, anyone who had enough patience to own a terrier couldn't be all that bad.

"What's the plan?" Lester asked.

"Me? I thought this was your rodeo."

"I didn't have an actual plan." Lester said.

I glared at him for a few beats. No plan.

"I am not a plan kind of guy!" Lester contended. "I thought you had a plan. I was going to go with what ever you came up with."

Okay, I had to think about this.

The back door opened and Paulo jumped in. Ranger's brother had a knife up to Lester's throat before Lester had fully acknowledged a presence in the truck.

"When you get a plan, you let me know." Paulo whispered. "If you don't got one, you probably should have left by now. You have been sitting on me for 5 hours."

"Lester Santos," Les whispered, trying not to move the knife deeper into his neck. "I work for Rangeman."

"I know who you are. What I don't know is why Carlos doesn't have a better handle on his dogs."

Paulo turned towards me. He smiled. His teeth were almost as shiny as his brothers. "I know you. Your the skirt that caught me in the garage."

His eyes were like black glass marbles. They pulled me in. I couldn't look away. He turned his attention, thankfully, back to Lester, letting his knife slip away from his throat.

"I swear to God, Paulo. I will get you back for that." Lester hissed.

Paulo kissed Lester on the cheek. "In your dreams, my big friend."

"Start the truck. Let's go for a ride." His switchblade came back out as he watched Lester in the rear view mirror.

Lester leaned forward and so did Paulo.

"Now, I know you get how stupid it would be for you to go for the gun under your seat, dog. Let's keep this peaceful. I doubt this knife could penetrate the seat in front of me, but I am willing to find out. Are you?"

Paulo had my seat belt tight in his hand. His fingers touched my bare skin. They were warm, resting casually on my shoulder. His hand had a slightly different affect than Ranger's did. He was like Ranger, but wild.

Lester started the truck. "Where to?"

Paulo didn't let go of my seat belt until we stopped in front of the security booth at Rangeman.

"Leave the keys in, and get out." Paulo said.

"Aren't you even curious as to why we were at your house?" I asked.

"No." He said, quietly. "Get out."

"We want to know what is in the packages you keep leaving here."

Paulo's eyebrow twerked upwards. "You are going to need to try harder than that."

"Out." He glared at Lester.

"You, you can stay." He said, watching me.

Suddenly I was afraid.

"No. I'll get out." I said, grabbing the door handle.

"Stay. I insist." Paulo smiled, gripping the seat belt,again.

I glanced at Lester. "Go."

"I cant. The boss would freak."

"Now, why would Carlos freak?" Paulo said, giving me a once over. "Out, Santos. This is getting interesting."

I nodded. "I will be okay, go."

"Fuck!" Lester said, opening the door and getting out."If you do anything to hurt her, you are in more than a world of shit."

Paulo jumped into the drivers seat, still holding the seat belt, and stepped on the gas. We peeled out of Rangeman, and into the night.

I knew I could easily have punched him. But, this was Ranger's brother. He lived in a nice house. Why would be risk everything to kill me, or hurt me? He wouldn't. I checked him out in the moonlight. He was dressed conservative. He didn't have tattoos that I could see, and his hands were soft. He probably had a cushy job. He looked mean, but was he? It didn't make any sense. He hit the door locks and drove.

"I have to go to the bathroom." I said.

"Hold it."

"I can't. We were in front of your house for five hours. I drank too much water. I gotta go. It's an emergency."

Paulo eased the truck to the curb. He grabbed a pair of cuffs, and locked one of my wrists onto his.

"Okay. You can go in the bushes."

"The bushes? No way. I am not squatting in the bushes."

"Then, you don't have to go that bad. When you get desperate, you will squat."

"What would I use for toilet paper?"

"The wind. Air dry."

"We are handcuffed together! How's this going to work?"

"Figure it out."

"But you'll be with me."

"It makes things more interesting."

I grimaced. "I can wait."

I slumped back in my chair, practicing patience. This was an unexpected turn of events. Usually, I can unnerve people with the pee theory. Gentleman come in all shapes and sizes, good and evil. This guy, I think he might have heard that one before. He was seasoned in girl problems. He had four sisters. Nothing I said would make him come unglued. If it had to do with girl's private affairs, he was a stone. I was beginning to realize we picked the wrong sibling to talk to us.

"Where are you taking me?"

Paulo's cell phone began ringing.

"Maybe you should answer that."

"Probably a wrong number." Paulo said.

"This is kidnapping. If a cop pulls us over, you're screwed." I said, pulling at the handcuffs."You have a nice life, why throw it all away?"

Paulo looked over at me. "Is that what I'm doing?" He smiled, turning his attention back to the road.

I was hoping that kidnapping was not one of Paulo's bad habits.

My cell phone started to ring.

"I should get that."

"Let it ring. He knows where I am going."

We pulled into the driveway. He had brought me back to his house. His little dog rushed up to the truck, barking.

"Quiet, Papi. Everyone is sleeping."

He opened the door, and the dog jumped onto his lap.

"You want to come in? You can even use the bathroom."

Paulo took a key out of his pocket and uncuffed his wrist. He looked straight into my eyes. "If you feel like your going to punch me, just remember that it was a bad idea, before it happens. His eyes were direct. He never looked away, as he put the key in and turned.

He got out of the truck, pocketing the keys. He walked around and opened my door. "This is Papi." He picked up the little terrier, holding him in his arms. "He is a little fucker. Eats all my shoes. If you take yours off, put them up. He will take them.

Paulo's phone rang as he walked me into his house.

He answered it on the second ring, listened for a moment, then covered the mouthpiece. "My brother is a little upset. Apparently, I took something that he cares about."

Paulo pointed down the hall. "Bathroom is on the left."

As I walked down the hall I heard Paulo say, "Nice truck, by the way. Maybe I should take your things more often."

Through the mirror, I saw that Paulo was watching me.

 

*****  
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story! It has kept my spirits up. Please let me know what you think of this chapter, as always. Writing does cure the sad heart. Love to you all, and I hope you enjoy how this tale is spinning.


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Paulo sat across from me. A card table had been set up in the middle of the garage. The only light came from a single bulb, hanging from a cord. It cast shadows across the boxes lining one wall. They were set neatly in rows, one on top of the other. Scrawled in black ink across the middle of a few, announced what was inside. "2014 crap", "Lily's baby stuff", "Shilo's trophies". There were more, but I couldn't read them. The ink was too faded to see.

He hit a switch, and a fan turned on. It was aimed out a small window. He pulled a cigarette out of the pack sitting next to him, and tipped it back. A lighter dropped into his hands. He lit the smoke and dropped the lighter onto the table. Two shot glasses sat in front of us. Paulo picked up a bottle of Captain Morgan's and poured amber liquid into each glass, and then sat the bottle back down.

I watched him carefully. "Are you married?"

Paulo took a drag off his cigarette. "Not any more."

"Kids?"

"Four."

"Where are they?"

"Away."

So, he wasn't much for conversation.

He leaned back in his chair, relaxed. There was a difference in the body language of both Ranger and Paulo. Ranger was more like a Panther. Paulo, he was like a tiger. He was making me uncomfortable, and I knew he was doing it on purpose.

When I walked out of the bathroom, he asked me to join him in the garage so he could smoke. He had given me the opportunity to leave. I had thought about it. But what would I have gained by walking away? The reason we had sat in front of his house for five hours was so we could talk to him. I wanted to talk to him. This was my chance. So here I sit, in Ranger's brother's garage. I felt like an idiot. I had a backbone. It was time I used it. No brother of Ranger's was going to scare me.

"This is nice." I said. His garage was similar to most garages I had been in. Aside from the storage boxes, there were work benches and power tools, yard equipment, nails, hammers, saws, and a radio. Lots of screwdrivers and wrenches hung on the wall with hooks. Rafters held water skis and rafts, an old aquarium tipped end to end waiting for someone to want to use it again.

Along one wall, things had been cleared away. There was a cot set up. Three blankets had been folded up at the foot. At the head was a mini fridge with a toaster oven placed on top. Under the cot, books. At least fifty of them. It appeared Paulo spent a lot of time in the garage.

"You live in the garage?"

Paulo laughed. "For now. Until the contest is over."

"What contest?"

Paulo smiled, but his eyes were serious. "If you didn't know about the contest, you wouldn't have been sitting in front of my house."

"Maybe we were told to run surveillance."

"Carlos wouldn't put his girlfriend in danger like that."

"What danger? And what makes you think I am his girlfriend?"

"Are you saying your not?" Paulo's eyebrow's twitched upwards. I knew this look. He was playing with me.

"Are you saying women can't work for Rangeman?"

Paulo took a hit off his cigarette. "You don't seem the type."

"What type would that be?"

"To work security? More rough and tumble, kiss the girls, weight lifting types."

"I can lift weights." I said, lifting my chin. "And I'm not security, I'm a bounty hunter."

Paulo took another drag, picked up the pack and pulled another out, lighting it with the one in his mouth, snubbing out the one he was smoking. "I'm surprised you said that with a straight face."

I squinted my eyes. Was that an insult? I think that was an insult! "Chain smoking will kill you." I said, watching him closely.

"Yes, it will. So will the game. Gotta take some chances in life."

I decided to just ask him the questions we came down here for. I mean, why not? What's the worst that can happen? I had already been kidnapped.

"What is the real goal of this game?"

"What did Carlos tell you?"

"He told us that it was about bad habits. Yours is smoking. Your sisters all have problems with the easy bake ovens. He wouldn't tell us what his was."

"It seems yours is curiosity." Paulo said.

He had the same wolfish smile that Ranger had. It was unnerving and more scary than sexy. The sex appeal was there. It lurked just below the surface, brewing, even smoldering. He was a Manoso, thru and thru.

"What is in the packages that you brought to Rangeman?"

"That is the big question, isn't it?" Paulo smiled, and took another drag off his smoke in a James Dean kind of way. "You must be Stephanie."

"How do you know my name?"

He blew smoke out through pursed lips, all the while watching me. "This game just got much more interesting." He flipped the pack of cigarettes over and over on the table making the pack go "click, click, click.

"Tell me, Stephanie, how long does it usually take for you to solve a mystery?"

"What?"

"You have twelve days. If you can figure out what is in those packages before we finish our challenges, you win. Because you are going up against Carlos, you can bring in the Rangeman crew to help you. You wanted in, your in."

I sat there, my mouth frozen. Finally, I was able to find my words. "What? I don't want to play your stupid game."

Paulo pulled his phone out of his pocket, and placed it on the table. He pressed a button and my voice filled the room, betraying me. I had told Ranger we wanted in.

"Are you changing your mind?" He said, smashing out another cigarette. He pulled another one out of the pack.

"How many of those do you have to smoke?"

"A lot. I am not happy about it. This was all Claudia. She was the one who decided smoking was my downfall. She is a little bitch. I hope she gets fat eating all that cake."

The lighter's flame licked the tip, turning the tobacco to fire, Paulo sucked in, turning the flame to a red smoldering glow as it burned. "If you decide not to play, you forfeit. Not a big deal, but it means Carlos is out. He will have to forfeit also. He asked to bring you in. He sent me the audiophile this morning. I doubt he knew you would decide to come directly to me."

"I didn't come to you to ask to join. I came to you to ask about the stupid packages."

"Why did you care? Stephanie, don't tell me... wait. You were curious? That is your downfall, you know. You should be careful. It always kills the cat."

Paulo sat up. His eyes shifted towards the door and his smile faltered.

"Look, this is the scoop," he said, leaning forward. "We have never brought anyone in before. You asked. Now you need to decide. Do it quick, the Calvary just arrived. One thing for sure, having you pushing us will really move this game forward, and it will be a lot funner if you play."

I could see the shadows of headlights dance on the walls of the garage.

"It's your choice." Paulo said. "Make your decision."

"Okay, I'm in."

He smiled. "Welcome to the family." Paulo handed me a shot glass, and lifted his. Cheers."

****************

Happy Turkey day, everyone! I hope you like this chapter, please let me know if you see any mistakes or problems. Please review if you get a chance. I just love to read what you think of the story. :)


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

The shot glass was refilled.

"There are rules." Paulo said, knocking back another shot.

"What rules?"

He handed me the shot glass. "You have two goals. One is finding the packages. The other is finding out what was in them. Rules are, you can't tell anyone your in, except your team mates. Your team mates consist of the men you chose from Rangeman. Only use the ones that can keep their mouths shut."

I took the shot, letting the rum burn as it ran down my throat. I dropped the glass back on the table, and he refilled it.

"I trust all of them."

"That's a pretty naive way to look at things."

"They have always had my back." I said, taking another shot.

"I bet." He said, doing the same. He dropped his glass on the table next to mine.

I was starting to lose count of how many shots I had taken. Was it three? Four? The way he said the "I bet" comment. I wanted to ask what he meant. I heard the noise of car doors slamming outside. Paulo didn't move, didn't react at all to the noises. He looked relaxed, but I knew better. I took another shot. I wasn't sure, but I thought I had already taken a shot. It was again refilled.

"So you think Ranger's men can't be trusted?"

"I didn't say that."

There was a pregnant pause. We both knew our conversation was going to be coming to a close any second now.

"What's the prize if I win?"

"Respect."

"That's it? That's what I win?"

He and I both tipped the shot glasses at the same time. I think I was in a drinking game that I didn't remember joining.

"That's a lot." He said.

"Okay. So, when I find the packages, and I know what is in them, what do I do?"

"You have to take at least one box with you. Bring it to my parent's house. Then call Carlos."

"So That's it?"

"Pretty much."

I knocked back another shot of rum. "Sounds too easy."

"Does it? I can make it harder. I haven't told my sisters you are playing. They might not be very cooperative. Be careful."

He pulled out the knife that he had held to Lester's throat and laid it on the table.

"You might want to move." Paulo said, as he held my eyes. "I have a feeling things are going to get a little rough."

Ranger kicked in the utility door. The look he gave his brother was murderous. "You broke the rules." Ranger growled.

Paulo looked back at me. "It was worth it."

"You okay?" Ranger asked.

"Yeah, sure, I am fine... Just fine. How are you?" I think the rum might have something to do with that statement, but I wasn't sure.

"I need speak to my brother, alone. Lester and Cal can take you home." Ranger said.

"Okay." I said, getting up. I could feel my equilibrium teetering as I stood. Damn, Stephanie. You cannot hold your liquor.

Paulo handed me the bottle and the glasses. "It would be wise to take these with you."

I walked up to Ranger. "Hi." I said. My words seemed slightly slurred.

Ranger looked me over, smiling. "How much of that did you drink?"

I looked at the bottle, lifting it up. "This? One or two or three. No, maybe four or five, six. Six shots, I think."

"You're trashed." He touched my hair, smoothing it down, then took my hand and helped me get over the splintered door that lay at our feet. "I will meet you back at Rangeman." He said, watching me.

"Ten-four, good buddy." I said. Wait, where did that come from?

I turned and gave Paulo a little pinky wave. "Bye! Nice to meet you... Tell Papi I said to stop eating your shoes."

The moment I stumbled over the broken door, Ranger rushed his brother.

Lester and Cal were outside, standing by the SUV. The cool air felt good on my face. I found I could walk in a semi straight line all the way to the truck, and then I turned and threw up.

"Are you alright?" Lester asked. "I shouldn't have fricken' left you with him. Ranger was furious. What the hell happened?"

I handed Cal the rum and the shot glasses, and looked back towards the house. "I am not sure, but I think we are all officially in the game."

Cal and Lester turned as a loud crash came from inside the garage. It sounded bad. We stood together, listening. "Ranger told us not to intervene." Cal said. "I'm not sure I want to follow that order."

 

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Thank you all so much for the reviews! Sorry this one took so long to post, I had to make sure I had a few chapters figured out before I could throw this one down. Please let me know If you find any mistakes or problems. This is all me, I'm not even using a pre-read. Please review and I hope you like the story so far! It is taking a bit longer to tell than I thought it would, but don't worry, Stephanie will figure out the mystery of the boxes... And soon! :)


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter 11

My head felt like someone hit me with a sledgehammer. Light hit my eyes and I recoiled, hiding under the covers, like a vampire dodging the sun.

I heard movement in the room. I peeked out from underneath the blanket. Ranger stood at the foot of the bed, holding a bag of french fries in one hand and a coke in the other.

"I come bearing gifts."

"What time is it?" I said, shielding my eyes from the light.

"Three."

"Am or Pm?"

"Pm."

I tried to focus on the room, but it wasn't that easy with my eyes mostly shut. "Where am I?"

"Your apartment. Lester and Cal brought you here."

I lifted the covers, and looked down. I had on pajamas. I didn't remember putting them on.

"How did I get into my pajamas?"

"What is the last thing you remember?"

That took me more than a few seconds. My brain was on slow.

Ranger smiled. "I came over last night to check on you. When I got here, you were passed out on the bathroom floor. I carried you to the bedroom."

"You carried me?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I helped you put on your pajamas."

"You helped me?" This had my brain on still. I didn't remember anything. "Did I need a lot of help?"

"You were all over me." He was smiling now. I wasn't sure how much I should believe.

"Was it that bad?"

"No. It was fun. You kept saying "Oh Capt'n, my Capt'n." I just didn't want you to think I was taking advantage."

"Were you?"

"A little."

"I am coming to the conclusion that I suck at drinking."

"You should have stopped at two. Know your limits. Next time, I might not be as honorable."

"Good to know."

Ranger sat down next to me on the bed and watched me eat. The fries were a godsend and the coke, that was the clincher.

"Here." He reached out and dropped pills into my hand.

"What are these?"

"Ibuprofen and Vitamin B. Kind of late for the Vitamins, but it couldn't hurt."

When I swallowed the pills, I noticed Ranger's eye. It was swollen.

"Your eye. Looks like it hurts."

Ranger nodded.

"Paulo? Is he okay?"

"Physically or mentally?"

That was a good question.

"Physically."

"He will heal." Ranger's face remained passive when he said it. No smile, no nothing.

"What about mentally?"

I stuffed a few more french fries in my mouth. My headache was slowly receding, but not quick enough.

"Mentally? As in 'is my brother a serial killer?'''

I swallowed the fries and took a sip of the coke to wash them down.

"I can't say the thought hadn't crossed my mind a couple a times last night."

Ranger smiled. "He's not what he appears to be".

"Which is?"

Ranger looked over at me. "Reckless."

"It seemed like he was teetering over the edge of crazy to me."

"That's because he likes you."

"He likes me? And if he didn't like me?"

"He wouldn't have been teetering. What made you decide Paulo would talk to you? You could have gone to any of my sisters and had a much better chance. Tank said Paulo was your idea."

"It seemed like the logical approach. Sometimes you gotta take chances."

Ranger barked out a laugh. "An hour alone with someone in my family and already your developing catch phrases."

"So, what's with him anyways? Was he always nuts?"

"Paulo isn't nuts. He just doesn't like to be in someones cross hairs. You were watching his house. He hates that shit. If you would have just walked up and knocked on the door, you would have been surprised at how much easier the whole thing would have played out."

Hindsight.

"What are your plans today? Ranger asked.

"I need to go to work. Connie has some files for me."

"You will need a ride."

"Why? Where's my car?"

"It's still at Rangeman. If you plan on going soon, I can take you."

I managed to drag myself into the shower and wake up a little. The hot water hitting my skull helped clear the cobwebs. It got me thinking about everything Paulo had said. I got dressed quickly, I wanted to start working on this puzzle as soon as possible.

Ranger slouched on the couch. His long legs crossed at the ankle under the table. He was talking to someone on his phone, concentrating on what they were saying. When he saw me, he dropped the phone into his pocket.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"It's not important. You ready?"

We motored over to the office in Ranger's black truck. I knew that he only drove it when he wasn't planning on working. It was his favorite.

"What are you doing today?" I asked, wondering about the phone call and if it had to do with the game.

"I have some things to take care of."

"What kind of things?"

"You are asking a lot of questions. Makes me wonder why are you suddenly interested in current events. Just so you know, I will be at Rangeman the rest of the day." He smiled. "I wont stop you from visiting."

"I practically live there as it is. Aren't you sick of me yet"?

Ranger's eyes met mine. He eased the truck out of the parking lot and into traffic.

My thoughts returned to Paulo. "Did you know he sleeps in his garage?" I asked.

"Who?"

"Paulo."

"He wont sleep in the house anymore. Not since Lecia died." Ranger said.

"He told me he was sleeping in there because of the game."

"He lied."

"Who is Lecia?"

"His wife."

"How long ago did she die?"

"About two years ago. She was a cop. Walked into an ambush. Paulo blames me."

"What did you have to do with it?"

"My informant opened his mouth. He told a bad guy that I had family on the force. They killed her to send me a message."

Now I understood what he meant by telling me Ranger's men have big mouths. It made a lot more sense.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. She was a sweet person. They were good together."

"Where are his kids. He said he had four."

Ranger's eyebrows went up. "I am surprised. My brother doesn't get personal like that. They are staying with his inlaws. He doesn't want them here while the game is in play."

Ranger pulled into an empty parking spot right in front of the bonds office. He is the only person I know that had that kind of luck. Right in front. I was lucky if I got to park on the same block!

"I will have Tank bring your car over."

I undid my seat belt. Ranger grabbed me, and pulled me in close, kissing me. The heat that went through my body just about completely cured my hangover. My fingers instantly curled into the fabric of his t shirt.

"I suppose this means your not sick of me yet?"

"I don't think it's possible."

*****

Oh no! What is going to happen? The next couple of chapters are still up in the air. :) Thank you again, for everyone's thoughts on this story. I love to hear what you think, and as always... let me know what I am missing, or misspelling.. :)


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